13 Good Luck Foods for a Happy 2013!
New Years Eve is the celebration of a coming new year. Different cultures have special foods that are meant to give good luck to the new year. Money plays a key role in the symbolism of the food. Round foods are very popular. Clementines and apples are particularly lucky. Other foods have the color of money, like green, silver, and gold. We will bring you through 13 lucky foods for you to try this New Years Eve.
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13. Pork
Pork is one of the luckiest foods to eat on New Years Eve. They are considered full of prosperity, for their size and roundness. They root around the soil with their nose, which is supposed to symbolize progress. Eat any type of pork product- we love a traditional roast.
12. Lettuce
Green lettuce represents green money. Eat a ton of green vegetables to hopefully have an abundantly wealthy upcoming year. Salads are easy, delicious, and healthy. Plus it will start your year off on a healthy note.
11. Cake
Bake a coin or a gold ring into a cake for this tradition. The person who is served the coin in their piece of cake will have a prosperous new year. Be careful not to swallow the coin though!
10. Grapes
A Spanish New Years Eve tradition is to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. Apparently, each grape represents the sweetness or bitterness of each month. Pay attention to which months will be good and which could turn sour!
9. Ring Shaped Pancakes
Anything in a round shape or a ring shape is good luck. These coin shaped pancakes are made with rings of apple, so two good luck items in one! Use round pats of butter and make next year extra lucky.
8. Cornbread
The gold color of cornbread is supposed to bring good fortune. The golder the bread, the more gold (or money) you should get in the new year. Any other gold foods are lucky too. Try melon or cheese!
7. Champagne Cocktail
This is a new tradition, where a champagne bottle is popped at the stroke of midnight. Everyone toasts and gives their loved ones a big kiss. Kissing at New Years should give you lots of passion in the new year.
6. Figs
Figs are a symbol of sexuality and love. Eating them at New Years Eve should bring you a very passionate new year. We love using them in salads and baking.
5. Pomegranates
And old Greek tradition says that you should smash a pomegranate into the floor to reveal all the seeds inside. This symbolizes the gifts for the new year. The more seeds that come out, the better.
4. Lentils
Lentils look like tiny coins, so eating them at New Years is a symbol of good luck. You can buy lentils in bags for a very reasonable price. Once cooked, they’re great in soups and salads. This delicious stew is warming for the cold months.
3. Black Eyed Peas
Black eyed peas are supposed to look like coins. Eating them on New Years is a sign of good luck. Try them in Tex-Mex dishes as an alternative to your normal beans. They also make a great addition to a hash.
2. Whole Fish
The whole fish is a sign of good luck for a few reasons. Their scales look like shimmering coins, which represent fortune. They also swim in schools, which represent progress. Fish is a healthy choice for the start of a new year.
1. Soba Noodles
In Japan, slurping soba noodles without breaking them or chewing them is a sign of good luck for New Years Eve. It symbolizes long life and good luck. Get some practice in, because there’s a real technique involved in slurping them!